Chapter 89

Isabella stared at the satellite phone in her hand and finally realized something was off. The battery was missing! This rendered the phone completely useless.

A wave of dread washed over her. She thought of Scarlett. If Wren had been brought in by Scarlett to mess with her, it was likely she had tampered with her gear.

Isabella quickly dropped her backpack and checked the hunting rifle in her hand, only to find that all the bullets were blanks except for the one in the chamber. Using these blanks to hunt wild animals would definitely make headlines, and not in a good way.

"Damn Scarlett, does she want me to die out here?" Isabella felt a mix of panic and anger.

If Scarlett really wanted her dead out of jealousy, then Michael would be safe. Scarlett's target was always her.

Isabella immediately checked the rest of her equipment. Luckily, apart from the satellite phone and hunting rifle, the first aid supplies and emergency food were all intact.

But Isabella knew that even with emergency food and medicine, someone with no wilderness survival experience like her wouldn't last long. It would only delay the inevitable.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. Isabella gripped her knife, her eyes locked on the moving bushes.

"God, please don't let it be a wild animal," Isabella whispered, her legs shaking with fear.

Maybe God heard her prayer because only a rabbit hopped out of the bushes.

Isabella sighed in relief but knew it was just a stroke of luck. Next time, she might not be so fortunate.

"Stay calm. Think about what to do next! Yes, I need to find my direction!" Isabella took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and took out her compass.

Isabella watched as the compass needle swung aimlessly, unable to point to any direction accurately. Frustrated, she angrily threw the compass on the ground.

"Damn Scarlett! She's trying to get me killed out here!" Isabella was furious, realizing even the compass was fake!

Scarlett had prepared too well, which meant they had planned this for a long time. Isabella wondered if Austin was involved too.

At that moment, Austin sneezed in the hunting grounds. He was stuck there, unable to go anywhere, as Michael's people had surrounded the area.

Although there was no evidence linking Austin to Isabella's disappearance, he was still being held.

Feeling dejected, Austin walked to the kangaroo enclosure and opened it.

"Optimus Prime, Megatron, you're free now. I might die here today! I'll release the other animals later! God, if you really exist, please watch over Ms. Taylor. She must not die out there! Damn it! What a cursed fate," Austin muttered as he walked towards the other cages.

The two kangaroos hopped out of the enclosure, glanced at Austin's retreating figure, then looked towards the forest before bounding off into the woods.

Ten minutes later, Scarlett showed up in front of Michael.

Michael glared at her, his eyes cold as ice. "Why did you do it?"

Just moments ago, Jerry had told Michael about Isabella's disappearance. Wren and Ember, unable to withstand Jerry's interrogation, had confessed Scarlett's entire plan.

Scarlett trembled with fear as she looked at the plate in front of her, which held two freshly severed tongues.

"It seems you know whose tongues these are. Your friends lied to me, so I punished them. You know my style! They're still alive for now. But if Isabella turns up dead, they will end up the same way," Michael said in a cold, blood-chilling tone.

Scarlett, filled with fear and anger, glared at Michael and shouted, "I've loved you since we were kids! You didn't give me a chance and instead, you marry Isabella, who came out of nowhere."

Michael grabbed Scarlett by the neck and lifted her up.

"You should be grateful we were friends before. Otherwise, your tongue would be on that plate too," Michael said coldly, throwing Scarlett to the ground.

Without looking at the coughing Scarlett on the floor, Michael walked outside to find Jerry and ask about the search progress.

Jerry, with his head lowered, said in a low voice, "We've found some trampled tracks and are trying to locate her. We haven't found any blood, so Mrs. Williams should still be alive."

Jerry's words carried an implicit warning: "We haven't found Isabella yet. She's safe for now, but that doesn't mean she will be later."

Michael took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and worry. In a hoarse voice, he growled, "Keep sending more people to search!"

Jerry nodded and went to make arrangements.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Isabella was still trying to find her way. She had tried every method she could think of, but it seemed like fate was against her.

The sun, the moon, and the North Star could have been used as navigational markers, but it was a cloudy day. The sky was covered with thick clouds, offering no light at all.

Methods like reading tree rings were also not feasible for Isabella. She couldn't chop down a massive tree, and doing so would attract wild animals with the noise.

'It's completely dark now. I need to find a place to spend the night,' Isabella thought, looking around the forest with frustration.

She had planned to spend the night in a tree, but as she passed a large one, she saw a python hanging from its branches.

Luckily, the python didn't notice Isabella. Although she managed to evade the python, she didn't dare climb any trees after that.

"If I make it through this, I'm definitely signing up for some wilderness survival lessons!" Isabella sighed as she continued to search her backpack, hoping to find something useful.

Suddenly, she caught a strong, foul smell. She turned around in a daze and saw several pairs of green eyes staring at her from the darkness.